Tuesday

Mary Ann Hipp has always enjoyed gardening, and she is spending a lot of time working on the property of a 135-year-old farmhouse she purchased in 2013.

After her husband died, she bought the former Turner-McAbee House in Chesnee. She loves gardening on the land, which has almost 4 acres.

When Hipp is gardening, she said she thinks about her mother, Mary Birchenough. Her mother loved flowers and shrubs.

“Mom used to say, I don’t garden, I jungle," Hipp said.

In the beginning, Hipp worked 60 hours a week removing overgrown honeysuckle, wisteria, poison ivy, and acres of monkey grass. She also put up a fence for her 11-year-old rescue lab, Brodie, and her 3 1/2-year-old golden doodle, Duncan. The fence was secured with extra screws to make sure the dogs couldn’t chew up the fence. Hipp has planted "Sweet Autumn" Clematis and a climbing aster to cover the fence. The plants adorn the fence and look like they have been there forever. She also has planted a long line of rudbeckia along the driveway.

“My job is to work hard and take care of this property so that someone in the future will enjoy the fruits of my labor,” Hipp said.

To help with her commitment, Hipp is planting plenty of noble trees. The idea behind the noble tree is to plant a tree for your children and those that come after them to enjoy. She said her most precious tree is a California redwood that she planted outside her fenced in garden.

Hipp created a woodland garden on the side of her property. The space has a variegated redbud tree, edgeworthia, hostas and ferns. In addition, she has plenty of native azaleas. Hipp said one weekend she counted more than 100 native azaleas on her property.

An area beside the driveway receives full sun, so she filled the space with colorful cockscomb, annuals, and echinacea. The backyard area contains perennials such as daylilies, iris, echinacea, vitex, clematis and solidago. She also has mature shrubs such as weigela and hydrangeas. Under a large shade tree, Hipp planted epimedium, hostas, and coral bells.

She left a center woodland garden that is canopied by the woodland trees. Hipp added camellias and rhododendrons to the area. She also planted serviceberry trees, mayapples, celandine poppies, a lot of Virginia bluebells, and some hardy geraniums.

Where she planted the redwood, Hipp added apple trees, crepe myrtles, chestnut trees, and a big leaf magnolia. She also planted a Carolina silver bell with native azaleas. She completed the space by adding a 12-foot Joe-Pye weed covered in butterflies, towering over a picnic table.

For fall, she has ordered 300 bulbs to add to her daffodils.

“I am a year-round gardener and I want something in bloom all the time.” Hipp said.

Linda Cobb is a master gardener who lectures, teaches, and does garden design in South Carolina. She can be reached at 864-574-8493 or email her at lindacobb@charter.net. Visit her website at www.mygardenersguide.com

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